Background:

2014 Ford Edge Limited AWD
$35,100 base MRSP
16.5 MPG (real-world, over a week of driving)

Overall Impressions:

Passable SUV. Would I buy one? No–not for the price. There just isn’t enough there.

TMS (Tall Man’s Score): B+

Headroom: A

 So Ford did a good job on this one. Not huge headroom (and my vehicle didn’t have a sunroof) but was certainly adequate

Mirror Location: C

My constant gripe–rear view mirrors that block your vision–was an issue with the Edge. Plain and simple the mirror should be higher so as to not block the driver’s line of sight to the right. Not as bad as some, but certainly not where it could be. Spoils what otherwise could have been a good TMS.

Side mirrors were ok–you could adjust them to pick up blind spots without too much difficulty.

There is a nice backup camera.

Headrest: A

Whatever Ford did to solve the “active headrest” dilemma, it did well. One of the best headrests out there. While still not as comfortable as those before the “active headrest” era, it’s not a literal pain in the neck. Well done Ford–let’s hope the remainder of the Ford lineup gets the same headrest solution soon.

Legroom: A

Good legroom (and it should be–it’s an SUV). Could there be more? Certainly. But I was comfortable.

Seat Comfort: B

I’m not quite sure why Ford made these seats the way they did, but there are multiple bumps in the backrest and seat that seem to prod and poke. I’m suspecting these are for some kind of “anti-fatigue factor” but all they really do is cause you to move around to try and avoid the pressure spots. Maybe I’d get used to them. Maybe I’d even appreciate them over a multi-hour trip. But right now, they’re simply annoying, and spoil an otherwise comfortable seat.

 Vehicle Review

Engine: C

Just not enough scoot.

Transmission: B

Seemed ok–nothing special. No paddle shift, and manual mode is via a button on the shift stalk (as opposed to moving the shifter itself).

Interior: B

Nice leather on the seats, but they did get hot after sitting in them for a while. I did like the armrests, as they seemed to be in the right place for comfort.

Visibility: C

Forget seeing out the front–you have no idea where the front bumper of the car is. Visibility otherwise was ok.

Electronics: D

Did not find the electronics intuitive. “Touch” buttons (that do not have any tactile feel, but just “beep”) seemed awkward (and I’d imagine are tough to use in the winter if you’re wearing gloves.

And because these are tactile only, you have to look down from the road to use the climate control. Frankly this is a safety concern, and the only item you can adjust without looking down is the radio volume (which can also be controlled from a button on the steering wheel).

One more silly feature–the side mirror adjustment knob is designed…wrong! To move the mirror up, you should push the knob up. To move down, push it down. Left should be left, and right should be right.

On the Edge, you have to push it diagonally (it’s the only way I can describe it). The net result is that the mirror doesn’t move the way you expect. Trust me, this will drive you insane.

Ford–please fix this (and fire the designer who thought this was a good idea).

Utility: B

Rear seats fold down, but not completely flat. But there is a button to lower the rear seats automagically from inside the rear hatch compartment.

Appearance: C

Just another SUV. Nothing to get excited about.

 Miscellaneous Musings:

Interestingly, I had a second chance with this car (as they gave me a virtually identical car the next week–even was the same color. Originally I thought it was the same car (!) but it had a beige interior (instead of the black).

And while the beige was cooler on the hot summer days, I did notice that the passenger side was getting dirty and stained already (with only a few thousand miles on the car).

Overall, I thought that Ford put too much “gizmo” in this car with all the techno-stuff. Supposedly this is what kids want these days, but frankly it detracts from the car. Not a good trend for manufacturers in my opinion.

Again a passable car. Nice to rent. I just don’t feel compelled to put my green presidents down on this one.